The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.
An overhead power line is an electric power transmission line suspended by towers or poles. Overhead power lines are generally the lowest-cost method of transmission for large quantities of electric power in the range 1 kV to 800 kV. In practice, many overhead power line cables are bare conductors which make them hazardous.
During storms, trees or branches can fall over power lines causing them to break. It is desirable to quickly couple the two separate cables of a broken power line back together so as to remove the hazard, rather than go to the trouble and expense of re-installing a complete power line.
A known power line coupler for coupling a pair of cables together includes a helical conductor which is tightly wound from one cable onto the other. In practice, the repaired and sagging power line can swing in the wind (e.g. during subsequent storms) and the helical conductor can slip from a cable about which it is wound.
Another power line coupler includes a compressible conductor tube for receiving the cables. Once the cables are inserted, the tube can be compressed and deformed so as to clamp the cables therein. However, in practice, the cable thicknesses are prone to variation owing to different manufacturer's specifications. Accordingly, it may be difficult to insert some thicker cables into the tube whereas the tube may be inadequately clamped to other thinner cables which can make the joint susceptible to breakage once again.